Commercial fishing for Pacific sardine is mostly banned off the US West Coast
What happened
US regulators have banned most commercial fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California for the 2025-2026 season. This means fishermen can only catch small amounts of sardine for live bait or as accidental catch, to help the sardine population recover.
Why it matters
The Pacific sardine population has been in decline for years, leading to repeated fishing bans. This new rule extends the ban, showing that the stock has not recovered enough to support commercial fishing. It forces the fishing industry to continue adapting to a smaller sardine supply, affecting bait availability and the economics of other fisheries that rely on sardine as incidental catch.
The signal
Watch for the next stock assessment in 2026 to see if the sardine population shows signs of recovery, which could lead to a partial reopening of the fishery.